Braiding machine control



May 11, 1937- L.. F. BROWN ET AL 2,079,836

BRAIDING MACHINE CONTROL i Filed March 411, 1936 3 Smets-sheet 1 BYC;

ATTORNEY May 11, 1937 y L. F. BROWN ET A1. 2,07-98 BRAIDING MACHINECONTROL INVENTORS:

-UlwE/VCE E Bmw/f ATTORNEY Manyl 11, 1937. 1 F. BROWN ET AL 2,079,33

BRAIDING MACHINE CONTROL Filed March 11, 1956 s sheets-sheet s ullql] [lUU Llu l A.... A@

nllilmlllu-lllmw L.1 INVENTORS.' lc/ 6. LHWKE/fcE/-jsrawy BY 1F PHI/LHam. L5M

Muw/A TTQRNEY Patented4 May` 11, 1937 PATENT @OFFICE ao'zasas nnlirnmdlMACHINE coN'rnoL Lawrence F. Brown and Paul A; Allen, Cortland. N. Y.,assignors to Cortland Line Company, Inc., Cortland, N. Y., a corporationof New ,York

y Applicangmarcil 11,1936, sentono.68,166 u Our invention relates toimprovementsln the art of braiding machinery and provides foremcientnovel control appurtenances of a character that greatly "facilitates theeconomical vmanufacture of `taperedtlsh lines and the like braided cordson a rapid productive scale at theminimum of labor costs. C o 1 o Thepresent innovations are primarily directed to the fabrication in onelength `of fa, so-called doubletapered ilsh line. Such braided lineproduct may"\\be provided with oppositely disposed, level `terminalregions of relativelyy small diametral size while an intermediatebraided belly region, is gradually builtmup t0 a `considerably largersize.

While one ormore core strands may be utilized to kenlarge such belly,region, it is hereinV preferred to work Without resorttoysuch internalbraid reenforcementin order to maintain a snugly braided `yet; soft andpliable fish line` that shall be intrinsically-free from faults whensub,- jected to arduous service. Inl such instance, the number' ofincorporated line strands remains the same throughout the lengthl of atapered line and .the linear'unit weight ofthe component bobbin threadsisprogressivelychanged in stepwise fashion until ,the desired medialbelly size hasbeen attained. Thereupon, the braiding process is reversedand steppeddown until the original terminal level size reached.k y i Thefabrication `of such a tapered line usually involves careful andlaborious supervision to insure the productionof a high .gradeproductsince the conventional Vbraiding machine needs to be stopped manuallyeach time a comparatively short length of line has` been laid. Somev oneof the plural carrier bobbins is then changed by the attendant to' allowof `tying in a somewhat heavier or lighter strand,l andthis operationmust be successively repeated in rotation until all such bobbins havebeen changed to a different thread that shall be appropriate to make upthe requiredrun of linesire.4 Without special equipment, such frequentstopping and starting of lthe .i braider calls Afor constant personalattendance and thus materially adds laborcharges over that needed `whenbraiding a uniformly level line.

Our improvements provide certain automatic means for cutting down on theneed for such intrinsically high supervision f cost by allowing theoperator to eiectively handle a much greater number of braiding machineswithout sacriilce in quality on part of theresulting taperedproduct. Thepattern control means `herein provided, serves to positively stopthemachine after (ci. en -11) a denitely measured length componentortapered line has been braided and this in turn, gives a cue to theattendant calling for a. required bobbin thread change without dependingupon the operators personal judgment. Consequently, the operator isnotobliged to keep a closewatch in order not to overrun the propercomponent "length of completed line.'

` Furthermore, when fabricating a taperedline without inserted corestrands, the heft of' the `braided strand must be correspondinglyenlarged at regular intervals to form a taperl of o predeterminedmaximum size. The-rotative'rate of the take-up draw spool or capstangoverns the number of picks or pitch spacing between the laid braiderstrands. Hence when using a'ilxedrate of carrier travel,- the speed ofthe draw spool should be proportionately changed, otherwise the strandsbecome too loosely or too tightlyfwbralded 'for an inherently pliableiish line that is intended to handle well when cast by an expertfisherman. 'I'he relative speed adjustments in takerllp Vrate on part ofthe draw spool has generally been accomplished by manually making thenecessary 4-gear ratio change `in the drive mechanismto compensate forthe required pick variation. Such. further supervision by,l theattendant is likely to render theoperators handsmdirty` and thereby.soll the finished braid. By virtue of our imu vproved braideraccessories, the speed of the draw spool is gradually-rather thanabruptly advanced or retardedwith respect to the carrier travel to suitrequirements.` n l The object of our improvements is to overcome thecited manufacturing deficiencies 'so as to enhance the productuniformity'and otherwise reduce factorycosts as applied to high qualityfish lines and analogous. plaited cords of the joharacter indicated.

Reference is had to the accompanying three sheets of drawings which areillustrative of a preferred assembly of ourinvention, and in whichdrawings: f

Fig. 1 represents a perspective front view of a conventional braidermachine unit equipped with our improved devices, and Fig.`2 is anelevational side view thereof which reveals certain appurtenan'cesattached to such machine. Y o

. 1iig.`3 shows a plan view of our braider as seen from above along line3--3 of Fig. 1, while Figs. 4 and 5 depict certain enlarged detailsassociated therewith. o u

Fig. 6 illustrates in exaggerated diametral scale, one kind of taperedproduct or article winch our machine is intended to fabricate, and Fig.7

This usually comprises a stationary transverse platen I0 having a pairof complementary sinuous grooves such as I`I cut therethrough toconstitute an endless serpentine path that guides a series of bobbincarriers I2 in the conventional manner. .In the present instance, eightor more plaited strands such as I3 may be used. In addition, thisbraider may also be providedV with one or more core strand bobbins (notshown) as in the Hodgson and Reynolds Patent #1,537,445 of May .12,1925.vv Since the means for imparting movement to the respectivecarriersdo not constitute the essential subject matter of our improvements, itis sufficient for present purposes, to point out thatz-such well knowntype of braider is .generally equipped with an actuated stop mechanismwhich admits of automatically shutting down ,the braidershould any oneof the processed strands become ruptured. This same stop mechanism islherein utilized and made to cooperate with a disclike pattern adapted toautomatically ceasejoperations Whenever suffiient tapered line lengthhas been fabricated to .require a change in strand size.

. Said conventional machine equipment may further ,comprise a springactuated knockoff plate or equivalent device I 4 of arcuate shape of`which `one endregion isfulcrumed to the stationary platen at I5. Theopposite plate end region is usuallyr provided with aprotruding portionI6 which lies close tobut is made to normally clear the travel path ofthe several carriers. As will be understood, each Acarrier also includesa drop weight y ory the like arranged to actuate the knockof plateradially outward about its -fulcrurn upon rupture of vany one tensionedbraider strand. Such machine maybe power driven through the pulley I'I.`The gear interconnected bobbins may be'neshed with-an intermediate spurgear l'rotatably mounted upon the upright drive shaft I9. A suitableclutch 20maybe disposed beneath'said spur gear and the pulley made todrive the bobbins therethrough. ,The laterally shiftable knockoff platemay be provided with a notch 2| Ydisposed to engage a depen ing`link `22havingV a latchableVA head thereon Yan fewhich head is releasablyretained by said plate whenever themanipulativelever 23 is raised toengage the pulley clutch. When the plate I4 is swung radially outward byinterference with a carrier portion, the gear clutch 20 will beautomatically released and thereby bring about a stoppage in thebraiding operations. The described clutch control may be termed stopmechanism.

Elevatedabove the platen is a superstructure including a pair ofstanchions such as 24 which `rotatably mount the overhead cross shaft25. Said cross shaft is usually providedwith suitable braid take-upmechanism or draw spool devices collectively designated'as 26. Thiscapstanlike metering means for thelaid braid may be positively actuatedin unison with the rotation ofthe braider bobbins by the Ausregof Yatrain of gears that commonly includes a pair of In conventionalpractice, the relative number 0f change gears.`

teeth in these complementary replacement gears are from time to timechanged manually in stepwise fashion to modify the pick of the laidstrand when braiding a tapered sh line. On the other hand, our braidtake-up mechanism provides automatic control means for graduallychanging the rate of rotation of the draw spool in a commensuraterelation to thethread size requirements of the tapered braid while thecarriers remain running at a xed speed.

'Ihe forward end of our cross shaft 25 may be equipped with a nat drivendisc or face plate 30 that frictionally cooperates in quadrature with atoothless drive pinion 3I, as shown in Fig. 1. Such pinion may' beoperatively mounted upon an auxiliary spindle 32 'of which the axis isdirected radially toward thek center of the cross shaft. This spindle isaxially shiftable and slidably embraced by a splined rotatable sleeve 33that is'retalned against endwise movement. The lower end of said sleevemay be equipped with a bevel gear 34 which is driven from thevhorizontal countershaft 35. The opposite end of the last named shaft maybe provided with a gear 36 that meshes with the worm 3'Imounted upon theu prightv drive shaft I9. This arrangement is such that the pinion 3| isrotated in unison with the drive pulley I'I under command offthe `clutch2U and which spindle is vertically vshiftable in its surrounding sleeveto modify the j rotative speed of the draw spool while the braiderremains operative.

That is to say,.a lifting of the spindle brings about an acceleratedspeed rate in the discl 30 whereas a spindle ldrop carries the pinion 3|radially away from the axis of the cross shaft 25 and correspondinglyslows up the relative disc speed. Any suitable means may be employed inraisingor lowering the spindle to suit theprevailing pick requirements.In the present instance, such adjustable speed control means reside inthe use of a heart shaped cam 38 mounted upon the transverse lay shaft39. This cam may be provided with vertically guided roller or otherfollower means 40 adapted to transmit the vertical component of rollermovement beneath the bottom of the spindle through the use of "asuitable follower linkage such as 4I or the like. Oneend of said layshaft may be provided with a reduction gear 42 of which the worm may besprocket driven at 43 by the chain 44 that is in turnmactuated from therear end ofthe cross shaft 25. As aV result, said lay shaft willberobraider carriers so as to makebut one whole revolution for thecompletion of a single tapered sh line. The indented' cam profile may bechanged within widek limits and is shaped to respond to the ycharacterof taper and its predetermined disposition along a finished fish linelength. v

The opposite end `of the lay shaft carries a specimen patter-nwhich inthe present disclosure tated at an extremely slow rate in relation tothe i comprises one or a series of control discs 45Y that are rotated inunison with the slow moving l cam 38. In order to obviate the need foran excessively large single disc diameter, we preferably resort totheuse of a' compact stack of smaller discs which may be laterallyseparated by suitable spacer means to provide for a vgroove between eachpair of next adjacent discs. A peripheral portion of jeach such disc isgiven a symmetrica] notched formation as at 46,. 46', etc. (see Figs.- 4and 5) with respective notches of the severaldiscs disposed angularlyabout-.acorn-l `not be evenly spaced, since such angular relation isdependent upon the characteristics of the completed article. `One end ofthe guided tongue member 4l may bepivotallyattached at "48 byretractible means to the knockoff plate |4, as indicated. The othertongue end may'be provided uwith an acute pawl 49 adapted to enter intosome one of the disc notches. Anactuating spring 50 `normally thrustssaid pawl radially t inward towardthe axisof the rotatable lay shaft Thetoe width of said pawl is kept proportional Vto the disc thickness andthis toemaybe laterally shifted by a manipulative knob 5I about thetongue pivot 48 to selectively cooperate with the successive nextadjacent notches afforded by the`several control discs45A, 45B, etc.Suitable retaining means such as thercited grooves between the' discsmay be provided to holdthe pawl in aligned registry with the thicknessof any one rotating disc. l l' n i The effective length of said tongueis such that whenever the pawl rides-upon a disc perimeter, thelatchable lhead on thelink 22 will remain engaged with the platenotch2|v -and thus hold theclutch 20 is operative engagement. However, whenthe control disc has advanced sufficiently to allow thebeveled` pawl todrop into oneof such aligned disc notches, thiswill release the linkheadand automaticallythrow the gear `clutch out of engagement to .f shutdownthebraiden Said notches `arepreferably so spacedas to properly time.such shut down and thereby automatically signal the operator when tomake a required bobbin thread change. Thereupon, the braider isrestarted` `.until the` reaching'fof av next contiguous notch calls foranother thread change. i

Because our draw spool and the control disc 45 are positivelyinterconnected to` rotatey in` unison, the spacing between successivedisc notches serves to definitely meter a linear;r length of completedbraid. Such a machine maybe `additionally equipped with the usual`takeup reel 52, also level ,Winder mechanism 53, guide holder and therlike conventional `accessories that need not be definedfin-fdetail.` lAttention is now directed to Fig. 6 which shows a double taperediishline productin which the bellied portion is disposed symmetricallybetween the `line ends. As ,actually manufactured, an exemplificationthereof isbeing marketed in a standardized continuous length of about,90 it.

The-relativelyshort trailing line end or -component L2 i may be kept atthe same diametral size DI and weightI that is given to the forward linkor leader component L6., 4Between these sections there may be braided aninterposed weighted belly region having a uniform or level diametralsize D2 forkaconsiderable lengthL4..` In actual dimensions. DI usuallycorresponds approxi-v matelyrto in size while D2fmay run several timesas large. The respective belly ends `arc graduallytapered in thecomponent lengths L3 and L5 until their adjacent smaller linev sizes arereached. The fabrication may be carried on as a continuous process asrepresented in dotted outline, whengthe complctedline iscut totheoverall length LI. e y

When starting to braidthesmaller` sized ccmponents L2 or L5..thereof,the pawlj 49 will be disposed `midway between theoppositely `disposeddisc notches 46 and 46' of the disc 45C .as in Figs. 4 and 5. Atthisinstant,`the `roller 40 will ride uponthe bottom of the depressed camprofile in th` Fig. 'l manner; Both Figs. 4 and 7 denote the particularcam portion that responds to the Fig. component lengths. Assumingboththe cam 38 and the discs' 45`t'oberotating clockwise lon thecmmon layshaft 39 `corresponding to a limited angle designated'LZ, then theroller 40 remains at a fixed radial distance from the axis of the shaft39.` In the meantime, the notch 46 willibe advancing toward `the pawl 49and when 'ultimatelyreached,` the machine will be automat# icallyshutdown by release of the drive clutch 20. This 4first step completes thelevel line corriponent L2. f

The operator thereupon increases the strand size on one carrier andrestarts operations by lifting the lever 23 and thereby relatching thehead of ther-link 22 into'engagement with the knockoif plate, asdescribed. Prior thereto, the retractible pawl `49'will have been liftedout of its lnotch andlshifted laterally into alignment withthecontiguous disc 45B so as to ride upon the periphery thereof and thusagain hold the clutch V2l) in operative engagement.' The `next adjacentnotch of the discv45B will then similarly advance ltoward thereadjusted'pawl until the machine is again brought to vrest for anotherthread change. A subsequent raising of the pawl-49 radially away fromthe lay shaft axis, causes the clutch to be thrown into engagement andallows the braiding. operations to proceed. Resort to multiplediscsobviates the placing of an excessively large numberof notches onany one disc-andstill provides for the/desired fine gradationcorresponding to something like 6 of completed linear `taperlength'between thread changes. 1 l

While the taper L3 is being braided, the roller 40 will graduallyandautomatically creep up towardthe outermost perimetric profile of the cam3B in accordance with some exemplar and thereby correspondingly increasethe speed of the draw spool which in turn properly compensates for theneeded larger pick of the heavier belly forming strands.- When theroller rides upon the truly the belly component without machine `shutdown. z

Asintimated, when working on the converging taperiLS, all operations arereversed until finally e the smaller level component L6 is. completedand the article as a whole fabricated with the minimum of expenditure oftim-e and labor. w `It, is. also `within .the scopeof-` our invention toresort to but one disc having a single notch thereon so as toautomatically bring the machine to rest after braiding a predeterminedline length. Such pattern would then be correspondingly speeded up tohave such single notch rotate throughone wholerevolution instead oftherestrict/ed angular distance designated L2 in Fig. 4.y Means mightreadily be provided torender such single disc notch inoperative whilefabricating the uniformly large article` diameter D2 of Fig..6 so as notto interrupt the braiding thereof.

Also instead of resorting to our cam actuated frictional disc drive,similar` results as applied to certain purposes may be had by the use ofa speed changek gear box El of the kind depicted in Fig. 8. It is commonpractice to drive the cross shaft 25 through asset of replaceableinterposed spur gearsr such as 60 and 6I represented in dotted voutline. y j The relative` number of teeth in the respective meshedgears may be altered to suit draw spool pick requirements whenfabricating a tapered sh line-or the like in a built-up fashion. As asubstitute for the change gears 60 and 6|, said box may be equipped withone or more pairs of mated spur gears such as 63 and 64, also 65 and 66.By manually actuating the control lever 68, the differently sized -gears63 and 65 may be laterallyvshifted into mesh with either thegears 64 or66. is thereby correspondingly modified with respect to the rate ofcarrier travel. Such handle manipulation still leaves our pattern discintact and operative to automatically bring the braider to rest after adefinite length of tapered line has been laid. When such gear box isprovided with a plurality of similarly controlled gear sets, any desiredrange of speed change increments, may beobtained.

It will be observed that with our improvements, the tapered lengthcomponent is gradually stepped up in diametral size and in proper pickspacing until a larger level is reached. Such procedure makes for a highgrade fish line that is uniformly builtup and capable of being rapidlyproduced at a comparatively low rst cost. It is emphasized that sinceour lay shaft39 is positively geared to the cross feed shaft 25-to runin unison, the control disc 45 cannot get out of synchronism when xingthe location of the tapered line component in the finished article,irrespective of any relative speed change thatmay be'effected by thevcam 3B or the gear box 61. In addition, means are provided forsimultaneously varying the rotative rate of the draw spool together withsuch pattern disc in a definite relation to the carrier speed. Ourbraider machine provides for a gradual rather than a markedly abruptchange in taper and its pick compensating means obviates the need forfrequent servicing of the conventional change gears 60 and 6l. l

Such automatic devices not only. improve the quality and uniformity ofproduct at the minimum of material wastage, but also fortify against theelement of human frailty by requiring all thread changes to be made atregular intervals when braiding'a tapered line. The preceding disclosurewill it is believed,l make apparent to those skilled in this art, theresulting advantages afforded by our braider innovations.' While thepresent specification has primarily been directed to the fabrication oftapered fish line, this is not intended to imply a correspondingrestriction in the wider application of our machine improvements anditis to be understood that various changes in such illustrativeembodiment may be resorted to, all without departing from the spiritand: scope of our invention heretofore described A and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers about a common axis, a centralized stopmechanism commanding the power driven means and serving to bring thecarriers to rest, movably mounted pattern means also actuated by saidpower driven means and whichA pattern while operative is continuouslymoved in unison with the carriers, said pattern being interconnected tocontrol the stop mechanism and serving to automatically shut down therotation of the carriers after a predetermined length vof braid has beenlaid, and means for auto- The rotativespeed of the cross shaft 25ymatically changing the pick of such braid in a proportionate relation tothe laid length thereof.

2. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers about a common axis, a stop mechanismcommanding the power driven means and servingto bring the carriers torest, a. rotatably mounted pattern disc, interconnecting gear means torotate the disc in unison with the carriers, said disc being operativelyconnected to actuate the stop mechanism and serving to automaticallyshut down carrier rotation after a predetermined length of braid hasbeen laid, draw spool means serving to meter the predetermined length oflaid braid and which means are rotated axially in unison with thepattern disc, and means for progressively modifying the relative speedbetween said draw spool means and the pattern disc. l

3. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers that are rotatablymounted to travel 'bodily upon a platen about a common axis, powerdriven means rotating the carriers, a stop mechanism including knockoif`plate means pivotally mounted upon the platen, a rotatably mountedpattern disc having spaced notches thereon and which disc is rotated inunison with the carriers, and shiftable tongue means operativelydisposed between the knockolf plate and' the disc, onev end region of Ysaid tongue means being provided with retractible pawl means adapted toengage a disc notch and thereby automatically actuate the stopmachanism. l

4. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers that are rotatablymounted to travel bodily upon a platen about a common axis, power drivenmeans for rotating the carriers, a stop mechanism including knockoflplate means pivotally mounted upon the platen,

pattern means comprising a stack of rotatably mounted control discs eachhaving a plurality of notches in the respective peripheries thereof andwhich disc notches are'perimetricallystaggered relative to each other,means simultaneously rotating said discs, and a shiftably mounted tongueoperatively disposed between the knockoff plate and the respectivediscs, one end region -of such tongue being provided with pawl meansadapted to selectively enter any one of the disc notches. f 4

5. In a braider machine,`means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers at a certain travel rate about a commonaxis, a stop mechanism commanding the power driven means and serving tobring the carriers to rest,`movably mounted pattern means actuated 4bysaid power driven means to move in unison with the carriers, saidpattern being operatively connected to control the stop mechanism,rotatable draw spool means arranged to take up the laid braid, meansrotating the draw spool from the power drive means, and means changingthe speed rate 'of the draw spool with respect to the aforesaid carriertravel rate.

6. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material' andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven 4meansfor bodily rotating the carriers at a certain travel rate about a commonaxis, a stop mechanism commanding the power driven means and serving ezgbiase to b'rlnglthe lcarriers to' rest, a notched pattern lrotatablymounted contiguous tofand arranged `to control saidv St'Qpmechanisni.andwhiich' pat,

shifting the pinionto change the pick rate of the laid braid.

7. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor rotating the carriers to run at a certain travel rate about a commonaxis, a stop mechanism commanding the power driven means and serving tobring the carriers to rest, `movably mounted pattern means actuated bysaid power driven means to move in unison with the carriers, saidpattern being operatively connected to control said mechanism andserving' to intermittently stop the carriers, rotatable draw spool meansfor taking up the laid braid and which means are rotated from the powerdriven` means, and means for automatically modifying the rate of spooltake up during one such carrier running period. l i ,l

8. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriersl at a certain travel rate about acommon axis, rotatable draw spool means arranged to take upthe deliveredbraid, and means driving the draw spool in unison with said carriers,said means comprising adjustable `control devices for automaticallymodifying the rate of spool take up with respect to the aforesaidcarrier travel rate in a proportionate relation to the length of thedelivered braid. e

9. In a braider machine, means for braiding strands of lmaterial andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers about a common axis, overhead crossshaft means extending over said carriers, draw spool means mounted uponthe cross shaft and arranged to take up the laid braid, frictional drivemeans for rotating the cross shaft from the power driven means, saidfrictionali drive means comprising an axially retained sleeve memberrthat is positively actuated to rotate in unison with the carriers andhas a splined axially shiftablev spindle mounted therethrough and whichspindle carries a rtoothless pinion at one end thereof, and means foradjustably shifting said spindle while its sleeve is' being rotated.

10. In a braider machine, means for braidingy strands of material andwhich means' include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers at a certain travel rate about a commonaxis, rotatably mounted ratewabout a common axis,` rotatably mountedcross shaft meansoperatively.connected to run in unison with thecarriers, draw spoolmeans mounted upon said `cross shaft, lay `shaftmeans,

meansdriving the lay shaft fromthe crosstshaft, La) stop mechanismcommanding the `power driven "me'a'ns "and serving to bring the carriersto rest,

pattern means mounted upon the lay shaft and which pattern isoperatively connected by actualed tongue means to control the stopmechanism, and change gear means simultaneously modifying the speed rateof the lay and cross shafts with respect to the aforesaid carrier travelrate. i

12. In a braider machine, meansfor braiding' strands of material andwhich means include a plurality of bobbin carriers, power driven meansfor bodily rotating the carriers at a certain travel lbring the carriersto rest, pattern means mounted upon the lay shaft and which pattern isarranged to actuate said stop mechanism, and adjustable control meansserving to change the rate of the cross shaft speed with respect to theaforesaid carrier travel rate.

'13. A machine for laying tapered braid and which machine comprisesaplurality of bobbin carriers, power driven means for bodily rotating thecarriers about a common axis, rotatably mounted cross shaft meansoperatively connected to run in unison with the carriers, draw spoolmeans for said cross shaft arranged to take up and meter the laid braid,a stop mechanism commanding the power driven means to bring the braidingmachine to rest, a rotatably mounted specimen pattern that is alsooperativelyA connected to run in unison with the carriers, said patternbeing arranged to actuate the stop mechanism and which pattern duringonerevolution thereof serves to repeatedly stop the braiding `machine ina substantially definite relation to a linear length component oflaidstrand as meterstrands of material and which means include a pluralityof bobbin carriers, power driven means for bodily rotating the carriersabout a common axis, a stop mechanism including knockoff plate meansthat commands the power driven means and brings the carriers to rest',rotatably mounted pattern means provided with a plurality of notchesthat are perimetrically spaced apart about the axis of rotation thereof,tongue means operatively interconnecting the pattern with said knockoplate and which tongue is equipped with pawl means adapted to enter oneof the pattern notches and thereby actuate the stop mechanism,

.draw spool means arrangedto meter the laid braid, and means forrotating the draw spool and pattern in unison with the carriers, one ofthe aforesaid notches being thereby advanced toward the pawl means totime the linear length component of laidbraidfthat the draw spool ispermitted to meter prior to bringing the carriers to rest.

15. In a machine for laying tapered braid and which machine comprisesmeans for braiding strands of material-including a plurality of bobbincarriers, power driven means for bodily rotating the, carriers at acertain rate of travel about a common axis, rotatable cross shaft means.draw spool means mounted upon the cross shaft'l and arranged totake upthe laidbraid, and manipulative gear box means provided with a series ofvmated changev gears that are operatively mounted to selectively drivethe cross shaft therethrough from the power driven means atv differentspeeds with respect to the `carrier travel and thereby progressivelymodify theplck of the laid braid in different component length re-

